And now hip pain, please tell me how you manage to sleep at night as my GP can’t.

[NotAgainWilson]

*Disclaimer: I have been waiting for a GP appointment for MONTHS. So I am looking for practical advice from those who have been there while I wait for my turn**

Now that is cleared, I am struggling to sleep at night with hip pain, whatever position I get my self in, it becomes unbearable after an hour or so.

I have tried different mattresses, I am using a knee pillow, sometimes replaced by a proper pillow, have tried to sleep on both right and left side, facing up (my back hurts), on my tummy (ditto) but I am still spending most of the night awake with pain.

I have tried accupuncture (helped for a bit), doing Pilates for hip pain (it is helping, I can walk more but the pain at night is very much present all the time). I have lost weight (about 10 pounds), I’m still overweight (blame the menopause) but not massively over weight).

Does anybody can suggest other stuff to try before my blooming GP has an appointment available? (Everytime I ask they tell me it will be at least another 9 weeks so we are getting to 6 months now).

I have hip pain. The GP was very good and did X rays and blood tests which found nothing. They put me on painkillers but I couldn't cope with them so stopped. They did say that I could take ibuprofen instead, but the first lot really put me off. The GP also referred me to a physio. I couldn't take on board and remember the exercises they told me to do but they did say swim and cycle both of which helped. I am still in pain. I need to lose more weight.

The knee pillow helps. I can get to sleep at night evetually but just get woken up by hot flushes and the cat. The cat is the main problem!

I arrange my pillows so I have two next to me that I cuddle for want of a better description, have two against my back and one between my knees. It is the only way I can get to sleep.

@YouAndMeAndThem Oh i see. I thought it was some form of painkiller that can be applied to the hips.

I have not been taking every evening before I go to sleep but I take them in the morning if the pain is bad. I also take them regularly for migraines so someway I thought that taking painkillers every night, when I don’t even know what the problem is, may be more problematic in the long run?

All the GP will do is prescribe pain killers. It won't make whatever is wrong worse, the problem will not be changed by pain relief. But it will help you sleep and give you some relief until you can speak to a GP

@NotAgainWilson By position I don't mean saddle height - yours sounds ok - but you can slide the saddle slightly nearer or further from the handlebars, just a bit. Even an inch means that your hips are in alignment with, er, something. I don't really understand it but a small change made a big difference for me.

The main difference though was simply cycling more and sitting less. My chair at work doesn't help. If I don't cycle for 3 or 4 days I get a sore hip. It's weird because walking makes no difference. Worth a try!

You need X rays and blood tests.

People I know who had bad pain and couldn't sleep have now had hip replacements.

If your GP can't offer an appt for 9 weeks, that's ridiculous. Can you change to another practice?

Thanks, I’m doing this as part of the Pilates for hip pain. They have helped, I couldn’t sit on the floor with my legs crossed in January and now I almost can 🙂

Also to echo other posters, 9 weeks to see a GP is ridiculous. You should complain about that!

I have hip pain that keeps me awake. Doc suspects arthritis, also not offered scans or xrays so not a definite.
Ibuprofen before bed and sleep flat. Tried all sorts of pillows/drugs but that combination works.
Incidentaly I bike nearly 50 miles a week. I'm still in pain.

Sounds like your level of pain is pretty bad so you do need to be seen by a GP to investigate properly.

My hip pain is helped by barely ever sitting down! This means working at a standing-desk, standing up in meetings, avoiding driving for long distances (and taking regular breaks), often even watching the TV standing up!
I also swim four times a week because if I don't my hip seizes up and gets stiff. Additionally, vitamin D, Pilates and lots of walking as well as squats/lunges daily. That sounds like a lot to remember, but it's just my routine now and if I don't do it I can really feel the difference.

I have complained so much in the past about the appointment waiting times, I wonder if they are now just ignoring me.

Having said that, I have not complained for at least 4 year so, maybe it is not personal.

I will ask for an emergency appointment first thing tomorrow, if they tell me again that it will take at list yet another 9 weeks, I will complain.

Thank you all 🙏🏼

So do GPs expect women to take painkillers every day, forever...?

Have you asked for a better chair at work? I got a standing-desk because of "reasonable adjustments" or something. Had to speak to an OT at work, but the difference it makes is massive.

Have you tried rubbing voltarol in before bed. I use that (anti inflammatory) and two huge pillows between my knees.

I take prescribed painkillers three or four times a day so that I don't seize up. X Ray showed osteoarthritis aged 39 a few years ago when I had said to the GP that I was waking through the night in agony (was taking ibuprofen and paracetamol which was doing nothing to help).

There's no point being agony. You should get a GP appointment as others have suggested.

I've been on HRT for 2.5 years and have been having hip pain (left hip) for 2 years. I saw a physio which helped and also had 2 osteopath treatments which helped too. I stopped the physio about 3 months ago (hard to find time for appointments) and the pain has definitely got worse of late. GP sent me to a rheumatologist and for a scan and MRI of my hips and pelvis and for blood tests to check for inflammation, but as none was conclusive I was just prescribed physio and very strong painkillers (which I take from time to time for another, much worse condition.) At night I just wriggle around and tell DH my hip hurts. I have also had sleeping pills as at the start my menopause insomnia was really bad.

Until reading this thread I didn't realise hip pain was a menopause thing.

N.B. Edited as spotted a grammatical error.

Time to leave this shit GP surgey of yours, I've never heard of anything like it? I get seen on the day that I call, this isn't a normal surgery.
It's disgusting that you can't get seen and I would be walking into that survey demanding an appointment. You're too soft and as a result they are just fobbing you off.

Surgery not survey! Damn typos

OP try using a wedge pillow under your knee of the side with bad hip, while lying on your back. It can take the pressure off the hip. It helps for me.

Same here, I posted this question it in the menopause topic as I assumed it is at this age of ours when hip problems become more common and therefore I would get more replies but never imagined it was also a menopause thing.

I have made a list of Things to ask the GP, if I succeed in getting an appointment any time soon.

I get hip pain on the outside of my hip, and what works for me better than stretches is massage. Depending on where your pain is, perhaps that might help?

Honestly, I have walked there several times. Too soft my arse! It is just crap! Don’t none the victim here!

I am waiting a hip replacement as had undiagnosed hip dysplasia from childhood that has led to severe osteoarthritis, not helped by active psoriatic arthritis that is eating away an my joint and triggered by taking HRT. My rheumatologist says menopause is a common time for inflammatory arthritis to rear its head unfortunately.

Looking back I have had psoriatic arthritis for about 20 years with lots of episodes of remission in between flares. My GP said I didn’t meet the NHS criteria for referral so I went privately.
In your position I would push for X-rays and bloods as a starting point to see if anything obvious underlying.

I was a side sleeper but at the moment sleep more on my front on top of a pillow . Not great but I do get some.

I have hip pain that keeps me awake at night - it has been out down to early onset arthritis in the hip. I was told to come back when it was so sore I was nearly immobile! Advice was to only exercise in forward movements so front crawl, running, cycling but no breathe stroke, certain yoga positions etc. Nothing worked unfortunately. I've recently started taking collagen - I've got Kallo - and the pain has gone!! It's muscle stuff! I highly recommend it!

In really sorry to hear you haven't been able to see a GP. You really need to find out what is causing the pain and they should be investigating this and giving you something to help with the pain.

I have osteoarthritis in many places including both hips and I've had 2 hip replacements, the first was before I was 40. You really need the blood test and x-ray like pp said. I was brushed off at first because I was young they didn't take me seriously but I was atleast given an appointment like you should be too.

You really have to stress how bad your pain is to them especially if you're young like I was. I'd definitely look in to changing doctors if possible, it sounds awful.